Behavior Control Apparatus, Method, and Program

1. A behavior control apparatus for controlling a mobile object having a movement mechanism, the behavior control apparatus comprising: an acquiring unit operable to acquire a position and an orientation of a human; a setting unit operable to determine a shape of an exclusive area for the human according to the acquired orientation, and set the exclusive area having the shape for the human with reference to the acquired position; a behavior generation unit operable to judge whether an event has occurred which requires information to be provided to the human; and a behavior determination unit which controls the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object moves out of the exclusive area if the behavior generation unit judges that the event has not occurred, and wherein the behavior determination unit controls the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object enters a task executable area if the behavior generation unit judges that the event has occurred.

2. The behavior control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the setting unit includes a state estimation unit operable to estimate which of a plurality of prescribed patterns shows a behavior of the human, and wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to a pattern that has been estimated by the state estimation unit as showing the behavior of the human.

3. The behavior control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to both a psychological personal space of the human and the pattern that has been estimated by the state estimation unit.

4. The behavior control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to a psychological personal space of the human.

5. The behavior control apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a reading unit operable to read landmark information in which types and positions of landmarks are associated one-to-one with each other, wherein the state estimation unit specifies a landmark that exists within sight of the human based on the landmark information, and performs the estimation based on a type of the specified landmark, the sight being determined based on the orientation of the human, and wherein the setting unit sets the exclusive area based on a position of the specified landmark and the position of the human.

6. The behavior control apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the setting unit sets, as the exclusive area, an area that is surrounded by one or more points that are based on the position of the landmark and one or more points that are based on the position of the human.

7. The behavior control apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the reading unit further reads state information showing states of the landmarks, and wherein the state estimation unit performs the estimation based on the type of the specified landmark and a state of the specified landmark shown by the state information.

8. The behavior control apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the acquiring unit further acquires a posture of the human, and wherein the state estimation unit performs the estimation based on the type of the specified landmark and the posture of the human.

9. The behavior control apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the state estimation unit performs the estimation based on the type of the specified landmark and a change of the posture of the human.

10. The behavior control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the acquiring unit acquires a position and an orientation of a first human and a position and an orientation of a second human, wherein the state estimation unit estimates whether the first human is communicating with the second human based on the position and the orientation of the first human and the position and the orientation of the second human, and wherein the setting unit sets the exclusive area based on the position and the orientation of the first human and the position and the orientation of the second human if the state estimation unit estimates that the first human is communicating with the second human.

11. The behavior control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the state estimation unit estimates whether one of the patterns estimated as a behavior of the first human shows communication with the second human, based on whether the second human exists within sight of the first human, the sight being determined based on the orientation of the first human.

12. The behavior control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the communication is in a form of a conversation with use of a voice, wherein the acquiring unit includes a voice acquiring unit operable to acquire a voice, wherein the state estimation unit includes a voice judging unit operable to judge whether a human utters a voice, based on the acquired voice, and wherein the state estimation unit estimates whether the one of the patterns estimated as the behavior of the first human shows the conversation with the second human, based on the position of the first human and the position of the second human and whether the first human and the second human utter a voice.

13. The behavior control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the communication is in a form of a gesture.

14. The behavior control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the behavior generation unit includes an importance level judging unit operable to judge, when the behavior generation unit judges that the event has occurred, whether the pattern that has been estimated by the state estimation unit allows the notification, based on an importance level of the event, and wherein the behavior generation unit judges that the event has occurred which requires information to be provided to the human if the importance level judging unit judges that the pattern estimated by the state estimation unit allows the notification.

15. The behavior control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the task executable area is an area in which the mobile object notifies the human of the information, and wherein if the behavior generation unit that the event has occurred the behavior determination unit controls the mobile object so as to enter the task executable area and present the information to the human.

16. The behavior control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mobile object presents the information to the human using an information presentation mechanism, wherein the setting unit includes a state estimation unit operable to estimate which of prescribed patterns shows a behavior of the human, and wherein if the behavior generation unit that the event has occurred the behavior determination unit determines a method by which the information is to be presented by the information presentation mechanism, according to the pattern that has been estimated by the state estimation unit, and controls the information presentation mechanism so as to present the information by the determined manner.

17. The behavior control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the setting unit includes a state estimation unit operable to estimate which of prescribed patterns shows a behavior of the human, and wherein the behavior determination unit determines a travel route of the mobile object according to a pattern that has been estimated by the state estimation unit as showing the behavior of the human.

18. The behavior control apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to sex of the human.

19. The behavior control apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to social relationship between the human and another human existing within sight of the human or the mobile object existing within the sight of the human, the sight being determined based on the orientation of the human.

20. The behavior control apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to an orientation of another human existing within sight of the human or an orientation of the mobile object existing within the sight of the human, the sight being determined based on the orientation of the human.

21. The behavior control apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the setting unit determines the shape of the exclusive area according to a moving direction of another human existing within sight of the human or a moving direction of the mobile object existing within the sight of the human, the sight being determined based on the orientation of the human.

22. A mobile object comprising: a movement mechanism; and a behavior control apparatus, wherein the behavior control apparatus includes: (i) an acquiring unit operable to acquire a position and an orientation of a human; (ii) a setting unit operable to determine a shape of an exclusive area for the human according to the acquired orientation, and set the exclusive area having the shape for the human with reference to the acquired position; (iii) a behavior generation unit operable to judge whether an event has occurred which requires information to be provided to the human; and (iv) a behavior determination unit which controls the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object moves out of the exclusive area if the behavior generation unit judges that the event has not occurred, and wherein the behavior determination unit controls the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object enters a task executable area if the behavior generation unit judges that the event has occurred.

23. A behavior control method for controlling behavior of a mobile object having a movement mechanism, the behavior control method comprising: acquiring a position and an orientation of a human; determining a shape of an exclusive area for the human according to the acquired orientation; setting the exclusive area having the shape for the human with reference to the acquired position; judging whether an event has occurred which requires information to be provided to the human; and controlling the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object moves out of the exclusive area if the event has not occurred, and such that the mobile object enters a task executable area if the event has occurred.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program for instructing a behavior control apparatus to control behavior of a mobile object having a movement mechanism, the computer program causing the behavior control apparatus to perform steps comprising: acquiring a position and an orientation of a human; determining a shape of an exclusive area for the human according to the acquired orientation; setting the exclusive area having the shape for the human with reference to the acquired position; judging whether an event has occurred which requires information to be provided to the human; and controlling the movement mechanism of the mobile object such that the mobile object moves out of the exclusive area if the event has not occurred, and such that the mobile object enters a task executable area if the event has occurred.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein said controlling operation includes controlling the mobile object, if the event has occurred, to enter the task executable area and present the information to the human from the task executable area using an information presentation mechanism.